IMPORTANT
INVOLVEMENT AND ACTIVITIES OF FEDERATION SINCE ITS INCEPTION

National
Activities

A proposal made by
the Federation in the year 1963 to the Ministry of Commerce, Government
of India that a small delegation of the plywood Industry should visit a
few countries outside to do an on-the-spot study of the foreign markets
which was accepted by the Ministry of Commerce with a grant of
Rs.10,000/- out of the Plywood Industry Voluntary Cess Fund to meet
partially the expenditure of delegation tour. After that an Indian
Plywood Delegation of five members headed by the then President of FIPPI
Late Shri A.K. Kaderkutty visited to West Asia, East Africa, and UK in
1963 to explore the possibilities of export of Plywood to these
countries and secured export orders for a total value of Rs.6,62,345/-
inspite of a competitive price which was executed in due course.

Federation was active
member of the Plywood Industry Voluntary Cess Committee constituted by
the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.

As a part of export
promotion drive the Federation approached the Ministry of Commerce for a
Grant-in-aid allocation for producing a brochure on the Indian Plywood
for distribution in foreign markets. The Government of India sanctioned
a grant of Rs.21,000/- from the Marketing Development Fund

In the year 1968 with
a great initiative of members the Federation issued first quarterly
journal entitled “Indian Wood Panels” during April 1968 and continued
upto April 1969 after that due to unavoidable circumstances plywood
journal ceased.

·
Federation had a good relation with DGTD (Timber Directorate) of the
Ministry of Industry, Government of India, who had taken active interest
in the various activities of Woodbased Industry and the Federation.

·Federation
has good liaison activities with the Ministry of Environment & Forests.
Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Ministry of Finance and other related
Ministries

·Due
to Federations initiative the Government of India banned export of rose
wood logs.

·As
a result of the efforts of the Federation the Excise Duty was reduced to
16% on all Woodbased Products and Import duty on logs was reduced to 5%.

·With
great efforts of the Federation the Woodbased Industry has been
transferred from Schedule-IV to Schedule-I.With efforts of the Federation
the Government permitted the import of logs from 1985 to conserve the
indigenous valuable forest resource on a nominal duty of 10% which is
reduced to 5%

·In
view of shortage of Formaldehyde resins on request and initiative of the
Federation of Indian Plywood & Panel Industry the Ministry of Commerce,
Government of India had included “Methanol” in the shopping list of
Plywood exporters vide Public Notice NO: 196-ITC/(PN)73 dated 19.11.1973
issued by the Chief Controller of Import & Exports to enable exporters of
Plywood to import Methanol through STC (State Trading Corporation) against
Advance/REP Release order and get “Mathanol” converted to Formaldehyde
and/or resin an adhesive for Plywood manufacturing units with effort of
Federation the Members took active role in plywood export through STC.

·The
Federation took up space at NBO Display Centre and arranged the display of
Timber products which was highly appreciated by the Minister of Works
Housing & Urban Development and at the request of the Federation’s
Secretary on 13th March 1969 Professor Barge Steenberg Director
of the Forestry and Forest Industry Division of FAO paid a visit to the
Timber Product section in the display section of the NBO who appreciated
the Indian finished timber products.

·Federation
also had participated in 3rd Asian International Trade Fair
(Asia 72) held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi in collaboration with CAPEXIL
during 1972.

·During
the year 1997 and 1978 a study report sponsored by the Federation of
Indian Plywood & Panel Industry on the availability of wood Raw-Material
timber for plywood Industry in the two regions Kerala, Karntaka and North
Eastern was presented by the Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi
Kerala State.

·The
Development Panel was constituted in 1984 by the Ministry of Industry to
review the status of Woodbased Industry in India and also constituted
various sub-committee under the Development Panel like Raw-Material
Sub-Committee Plywood Sub-committee Particleboard Sub-committee etc.

·Federation
of Indian Plywood & Panel Industry was a Co-sponsor in the National
Conference on Standardization and Quality Upgradation of Lignocellulosic
Panel Products which Bureau of Indian Standards Organized in New Delhi on
29-30 December 1992

·Federation
of Indian Plywood & Panel Industry alongwith Indian Institute of Forest
Management Bhopal organized a National Seminar on Raw Material supply to
Paper and Lignocellul;osic Panel Products Industry:Captive Plantation on
22nd and 23rd March 1993. Follow up meeting held on
21st April 1993 where the then President Mr. M.M. Jalan
presented important informative papers in the said Seminar.

·A
Development Council for Plywood and other Panel products constituted on
19/11/1993 by the Ministry of Industry and continued upto 19th
November 1995 to develop the Woodbased Industry in various field.

·Federation
was active member of these Development Panel and Development Council and
always provided all assistance and information as required from time to
time for making report on Woodbased Industry.

·Federation
always helps to the extent possible to all Foreign delegation when they
visit India and provides them statistical and other information on the
Woodbased Industry in India.

·Members
of the Federation had good export performance of their finished products
and Export of Plywood started picking up in a big way in the year 1993 to
European, Middle East and Asian countries.

·Federation
makes representation to the Government Departments as and when necessary
and also leads personal delegations to the Ministers concerned and to the
Departmental officers. Federation is trying to bring the Furniture
manufacturers, Laminates, Woodworking Machinery in India under the
umbrella of Federation so that they too get proper representation.

·The
Federation on behalf of the Woodbased Industry offers its wholehearted
cooperation to the Government in implementing their plans of afforestation
and regeneration particularly of those species of Timber which are needed
for the production of timber sheet material where some of the Federation’s
prominent members are already engaged in vast captive timber plantation
programme to meet the shortage of raw-material timber for wood based
industry. Due to shortage of timber and availability of Bamboo in India
the Planning Commission, Government of India, Bamboo Mission, various
research institutes are encouraging Plywood Industry to adopt Bamboo as
raw material in place of Wood because Bamboo has got some properties as
wood. FIPPI supports this encouragement and some prominent members of
Federation from North Eastern Region have already taken initiative to
produce Bamboo and Wood combine products

·The
Federation disseminates various technical knowledge to its members by
keeping in touch with the progress and improvement which are being
introduced by the producers in other developed countries like Finland,
Japan, Canada, UK, USA, China etc. through circular regularly.

·The
Federation presently has taken active part with Government of India in
reviving Plywood industry production activities in North Eastern region
which was ceased operation due to Hon’ble Supreme Court Order on
12/12/1996 to ban tree felling and production of all wood products in
North Eastern region.

International Activities

·The
Ministry of Food & Agriculture, Government of India nominated the
President of FIPPI as India’s
representative for the FAO Committee on Woodbased Panel products. The
first session of this committee was held in Rome from 12th to 14th
December 1966 where the then President of FIPPI Mr. P.D. Chitlangia,
Managing Director of Sarda Plywood Industries Limited attended.
Simultaneously nominated the President of FIPPI upto 6th
Session of FAO Committee on Woodbased Panel Products in 1980.

·The
Federation also organized a plywood Exhibition in Delhi at NBO (National
Building Organization) at new Assembly Hall on the occasion of the IXth
Commonwealth Forestry Conference from the 16th to 25th
January 1968.

·Federation’s
representative participated many times in an ILO Tripartite Technical
Meeting on Woodworking Industry in Geneva
as an Employees delegate nominated by the All India Organization of
Industrial Employees.

·FIPPI was one of
the active members of the Indian organizing committee for the 3rd
World consultation on Woodbased Panels held in India from 6th
to 16th February 1975 and whole heartedly participated the
World consultation in collaboration with members which was organised by
FAO and the Government of India acting as host organized the World
Consultation on Woodbased panels.

·On
a request of the Government of India to FAO in 1979 for financing within
the FAO Technical co-operation Programmes a project to assist in
modernizing the Indian Plywood & Panel Industry which was approved by FAO
in 1979 and the FAO team leader of the Project took up his position in the
mid March 1980. The project was signed by the then Inspector General of
Forests and the implementation of the project was given to the FIPPI,
which maintains its office in New Delhi.

·The
FAO/UNDP Technical consultation on Wood Based panels held in New Delhi
from 13-17 January 1983, the FIPPI was one of the members of organizing
committee for the Technical consultation and participated the consultation
alongwith other members.

·FIPPI
was one of member organizer of 8th Asian Plywood Manufacturers
Conference held on 17th – 20th October 1983 in
Manila,
Phillipines.

·Off
and on visitors from Foreign countries come to Federation office and
discuss on various subjects on Woodbased Industry and collect important
statistical information on the present status of Woodbased Industry in
India

·A
high level Malaysian Business Delegation visited India during October 2002
where they met FIPPI’s members at Hotel Le Meredien and discussed on
various subjects like Furniture, Laminates, Import-Export, Technology
transfer, Marketing etc.

·Recently
Federation had got from FAO an Invitation to the Expert Consultation on
Trade and Sustainable Forest Management Impacts and Interactions to be
held from 3-5 February 2003.

·On
various representation from Federation against the Plant Quarantine
(Regulation of Import into India, Order 2003-Restriction on import of
logs) the Government of India, Ministry of Agriculture has to amend the
following:-

1.Reduce the restriction on
import of timber logs.

2.Increase the list of timber
species for importing

3.Delete the finished timber
products like Plywood/Veneer from the import restriction list.

Considering past
activities of the Federation it is striving for a better future and to
remain competitive in the International market the Federation has taken
the initiative with the cooperation of all concerned in the Wood Panel
Industry for organizing an International Seminar & Exhibition on Plywood,
Panel Products, Furniture, Laminates, Bamboo and Woodworking Machinery and
have successfully organized “PANELEXPO
2003” held in New Delhi from 4th to 7th
September 2003 and “PANELEXPO 2005” which was held from 6th
to 9th April 2005 at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi India in
co-sponsorship of International Tropical Timber Organization, (ITTO),Planning
Commission, International Network for Bamboo & Rattan (INBAR) Ministry of
Commerce & Industry, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education
(FRI Dehradun), Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, Indian Plywood
Industries Research & Training Institute (IPIRTI Bangalore), CAPEXIL and
National Mission on Bamboo Application, New Delhi. After resounding grand
success of Panelexpo 2003 & 2005 the 3rd edition of Panelexpo 2007 an
exclusive International Exhibition and Seminar focusing on the emerging
trends and opportunities in the Plywood, Panel, Furniture, Laminates,
Bamboo and other Allied Products will be held in April 2007.

Main Subjects
handled by the Federation are:

·Supply
and prices of raw material viz. timber and resins

·Excise
& Customs duties and other Government levies

·Import
of machinery and spare part

·
Delegation and various communication related to Woodbased industry to
foreign countries

·Export
promotion and other matters relating to the smooth running of the
Woodbased industry and its development.

·
Federation encourages members for Captive tree plantation to meet the gap
of raw material timber demand and supply for individual unit as a result
many members come forward with full fledge plantation programme and attend
Seminar and Conference, which we intimate to members, to promote captive
Tree Plantation.

Federation's
Membership with other Organisations

The Federation is
a member of the following Organisations & Committees:

Federation of
Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry, New Delhi

Bureau of
Indian Standards, New Delhi

FAO Advisory
Committee on Paper and Wood Products

Indian Plywood
Industries Research & Training Institute

Working Group
on Forestry for the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007) constituted by
the Planning Commission in November 2000

Committee on
Marketing and Trade of Bamboo constituted by the Planning Commission
in April 2002.